Peter's Letters
4 - A Royal People
Peter’s first letter was written around 62 - 64 AD when it was dangerous to be a Christian. In his second chapter he has likened Jesus to a Life-giving Stone, God’s choice and precious to Him. At the same time Jesus is the stone rejected by the builders of all human religious systems.
There’s a tradition that, at the beginning of the building project of Solomon’s temple, a very large, fine looking stone came up from the quarry. The builders couldn’t fit it in, so it was moved to one side. It was in the way, so they pushed it over the brow of the hill. Later, word went back to the quarry, “Send up the cornerstone” and they had to haul it back up.
God manufactures His stores of precious stones in the quarries down here. We’re all dead stones prior to the new birth. We’re cold, hard stones lying deep down in the darkness under the ground. Do you ever wonder at the pit out of which you’ve been dug? When God planned His church, He selected individual stones, all hand-picked, all shaped individually to fit into the exact place in His house for which they were chosen. We’re not bricks –all made in the same way, with the same dimensions, looking alike. We’re isolated believers, living stones, cemented together with other believers. The Master Mason carefully chisels the rough stones to fit together. This is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. One day, the facets of these precious stones, cut here in pain, shall flash for ever in the light of His glory up yonder.
Peter reminds his readers that they also, “like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (verse 5). All believers are living stones, all believers are priests. The Latin word for priest is pontifex – a bridge builder. The priest is a person who builds a bridge for others to come to God. The church is not a hotchpotch of individuals, a collection of odd-balls, but a chosen people – chosen as the Jews once were. The church is ‘a royal priesthood’ which is what the Israelites were meant to be (Exodus 19 verse 6), but Israel broke God’s law and the priesthood was limited to the family of Aaron.
Of course, in the Old Testament no king served as a priest. The two offices were kept apart. But in Christ these offices unite as prophesied by Zechariah chapter 6 verses 12 and 13. “Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.” God’s people in the Old Testament had a priesthood.
God’s people now are a priesthood. This is the priesthood of all believers. Priests offer sacrifices – not animals as in the Old Testament – but “a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name” (Hebrews 13 verse 15) whilst not forgetting “to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13 verse 16).
Christians are not only ‘a chosen people’ and ‘a royal priesthood’ but ‘a holy nation’ and ‘a people belonging to God’ – vast privileges once only afforded to Israel. And, Peter informs them, this mercy has happened “that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (verse 10).
The foundations of gospel truth have been laid. Now here come exhortations to practical godliness. How should a Christian behave? Because belief affects behaviour, we must back up our talk with our walk. We are called to live exemplary lives of holiness (chapter 1 verse 15) and love (chapter 1 verse 22). Peter writes, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul” (verse 11). Every Christian is under constant attack by a band of secret agents. These spiritual ‘hit men’ are the evil desires of the flesh.
If you’re a Christian, you are not living in a demilitarised zone. You’re on the battlefield 24/7. You’re in a war where there can be sudden sniper fire. This constant warfare was colourfully expressed by a teacher. She said, “It’s like having a class that constantly needs telling.” Our real battle is not with people around us, but with passions within us. As D. L. Moody said, “I have more trouble with D. L. Moody than with any man I know.”
In verse 12 Peter writes, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.” There should be nothing in our conduct that will give the unsaved ammunition to attack Christ and the Gospel. Our good works must back up our good words. “Live good lives” carries the idea of beauty and attractiveness. Christians in Nero’s day had a bad press. The only effective way to refute the critics was to live lives so lovely the charges would be seen as obviously untrue. When the Greek philosopher Plato was told that a certain man had been making various charges against him, his answer was, “I will live in such a way that no one will believe what he says.” Was it not Jesus who said, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”? (Matthew 5 verse 16).